The present invention relates to a movable copy board for holding original documents to be copied in a reproduction apparatus, and more especially to a movable copy board capable of accommodating original documents of varying size and shape.
Conventional movable copy boards comprise a frame and a transparent plate mounted in the frame for the accommodation of originals. The frame together with its integral transparent plate is displaced during copying in order to produce, for example, a static image of the original on a rotating intermediate image carrier, such as an organic photoconductor. Scanning of the original usually takes place in a stripwise manner. For this purpose, there is provided in the copying device a stationary light source beneath the transparent plate and transverse to the direction of movement thereof. This light source illuminates consecutively, with movement of the copy board, each strip of the original which is then reproduced onto the photoconductor.
Copy boards of this type which have heretofore been in general use suffer from the disadvantage that only original documents in sheet form of a size not exceeding the size of the transparent plate can be copied with a reproduction device utilizing such a copy board. Books cannot be positioned firmly enough on the movable copy board, or there is the risk of damaging books or larger originals as a result of damage to the parts projecting beyond the copy board or hanging over the edge thereof.